In the American capitalist society, the media is often an agent used to perpetuate ideals and to inform consumers of products that they can purchase by using multiple advertising techniques. In an attempt to counter the thin body ideal for women, some companies have begun advertising their products by using plus size models, such as the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The purpose of this research is to examine college women's perceptions of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, an advertising campaign whose goal is to reverse the stereotypical body ideal for women and broaden the definition of beauty. Some sociologists have criticized Dove for sending conflicting messages. This study is the first that focuses on women's perceptions about this potential conflict. Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study examined if, how, and when women changed their initial perceptions toward the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty based on two separate scenarios brought to their attention. This is important because the findings suggest how consumers can change their perceptions regarding a company, in this case one that is a part of a multi-million dollar parent company, based on how a company advertises its products.

Oil is central to our lives and is the source of many of the conveniences that we take for granted. It can bring wealth and prosperity to individuals and to nations, but is also a source of political conflict and the consequences of its impact on the environment are only now beginning to be fully recognised. The oil companies have been leaders in the development of marketing and branding and this thesis traces the history of the oil industry and analyses the different forms of print advertisements that its major companies have produced over a period of some hundred years, from the industry’s infancy until 2012. It takes a cultural semiotic perspective to investigate and reveal the ways in which the companies have adapted their advertising messages to the prevailing socio-political conditions to reflect current attitudes and to guide both public opinion and national policy. The analyses demonstrate how the companies have responded to different crises and to increasing globalisation and how they have engineered a shift from product to presence and from oil to energy to communicate a more environment-friendly image. A close reading of the advertisements produced by the companies shows how they have cast themselves in the mythical role of the indefatigable hero whose mission is the common good. Moreover, it uncovers the different heroic personalities that they have acquired and adopted over time to differentiate their products and services. / Olja är en central faktor i våra liv och en källa till många av de bekvämligheter som vi tar för givna. Den kan bringa nationer och individer rikedom och välstånd men den kan också ge upphov till politiska konflikter – och dess miljökonsekvenser börjar först nu bli helt klarlagda. Oljebolagen har varit ledande inom marknadsföring och branding. Denna avhandling följer oljeindustrins historia och analyserar de tryckta annonser som de stora oljebolagen har producerat under en period av drygt hundra år, från oljeindustrins barndom till och med 2012. Utifrån ett kultursemiotiskt perspektiv undersöks och klarläggs hur bolagen har anpassat sina reklambudskap till rådande sociopolitiska förhållanden och på så sätt sökt både spegla gängse attityder och styra opinionsbildning och politik. Analyserna visar hur bolagen, som svar på olika kriser och en ökande globalisering, har förändrat sina budskap. Dels har ett fokus på produkten ersatts av ett fokus på närvaro, dels har olja ersatts av energi, allt för att kommunicera en mer miljövänlig image. En närläsning av bolagens annonser visar hur de konstant har framställt sig själva som den oförtröttlige hjälten vars mål är det allmänna bästa samt vilka olika hjälteskepnader de har iklätt sig över tid. / <p>Images removed due to copyright.</p><p>For a complete copy contact ep@ep.liu.se or pamela.vang@liu.se</p>

The purpose of this essay was to investigate and highlight the strengths and shortcomings of Critical Discourse Analysis and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis when used as an analytical tool. By comparing the representation of women and men in print advertisements, and how there may be a difference in language being used to describe both genders, including the use of sexist language, a critique of CDA and FCDA could be established. In order to establish this all areas of the advertisements had to be taken into account, including layout and images used. The ads were read and interpreted through CDA and FCDA in order to investigate and identify the strengths, and any shortcomings, of the theories. The investigation shows that, although CDA and FCDA scholars could argue that women tended to be described in a more sexist manner overall, a counterargument could also be made on most accounts. The argument which supported sexism was especially observable through how women’s bodies were more often fragmented in images and positioned in more sexual positions, but also how the advertisements not only reinforced stereotypes as well as using distinctly negative language in their descriptions. However, gender stereotyping against men in the ads was also prevalent, which allowed an argument against CDA and FCDA’s theories about existing power struggles. Although the investigation did manage to substantiate the critique regarding how CDA and FCDA view the differences in gender representations, therefore fulfilling its aim, perhaps a more accurate result would have been possible to achieve if more print advertisements had been used in the investigation. However, this was not possible due to the qualitative nature of the investigation.

現代消費社會籠罩在濃厚的符號性消費氛圍之下，「家具」也從純功能性的物件轉變為符號價值高的象徵性消費商品。本研究以Roland Barthes的圖像符號理論為基礎，試圖分析台灣的家具平面廣告，探究這些廣告的符號運作原則，以及隱含於家具消費背後的社會文化價值。從居家設計雜誌《ARCH雅砌》與《室內interior》中選取二十三則家具廣告，並依據廣告的主題與文本特性分為五個類別，進行深入分析。本研究發現，家具平面廣告的圖像訊息常依循「堆疊引申」與「二元對立」兩種意義建構過程，自然化物件的並置，堆砌出各種符號指涉系統；此外，在家具廣告中，文字訊息能同時對圖像訊息產生預設意義與情境意義的功能，但多對圖像進行「預設意義」的作用。本研究進一步發現，多數的家具廣告未建構出一個「家庭」的氛圍，而僅是搭築一個富含指涉意義的家具展示空間，利用這個空間極力強調西方文化的優越性，而西化的氛圍指涉了高級的生活型態。最後，研究結果顯示，在家具消費的領域中，社會階層、品味與文化資本皆影響了消費者行為，驗證了Baudrillard與Bourdieu等學者的符號消費理論。 / Modern society operates behind a shroud of symbolic consumption. Home furniture consumption, as an example, has been altered from purely functional to highly symbolic. Based on Roland Barthes’ pictorial semiotic theory, this paper attempts to analyze the print advertisements of furniture in Taiwan in order to clarify the signifying process of these furniture print ads and the socio-cultural values embedded in the Taiwan’s furniture consumption. Twenty-three print ads selected from popular design magazines, Arch and interior, are categorized into five groups according to their thematic and textual characteristics. The research finds that the iconic messages of these print ads are mostly in the pattern of “refrain” and “binary-opposition” utilizing “naturalization of objects” to construct symbolic meanings. Furthermore, the meaning of iconic message is frequently restrained by the linguistic message in terms of “anchorage,” although both “anchorage” and “relay” may both function in the print ad simultaneously. Most of the furniture advertisements didn’t construct a “home” atmosphere, but only a space to display furniture products and build rich referential meaning. The superiority of western culture is strongly emphasized; westernized ambience signifies the high-class life style. Finally, the research results indicate that in the case of furniture purchase, consumer behavior involves social class, taste, and cultural capital, which confirm Baudrillard’s and Bourdieu’s theories of symbolic consumption.